Natalie Darwitz out as GM of PWHL champion Minnesota
Team's coaching staff will make picks at the league's draft on Monday
A little more than a week after Minnesota won the first PWHL Walter Cup, the league is looking for a new general manager to lead the team.
The league and Minnesota GM Natalie Darwitz "have parted ways, effective immediately," according to a statement issued by the PWHL on Saturday. The statement doesn't say what led to the surprise departure.
"We appreciate all that Natalie has done for PWHL Minnesota in the league's inaugural season and her contributions to the team's championship success," the league's senior vice-president of hockey operations, Jayna Hefford, said in a statement. "We wish her the best moving forward."
The move was first reported by The Athletic on Friday.
Darwitz, 40, was inducted into the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Hall of Fame last month after starring for Team USA over 11 seasons.
The three-time world champion recorded 58 points over 40 games at worlds, on top of 25 points in 15 games at the Olympics.
After several years coaching high school and college hockey in her home state of Minnesota, including time spent as an assistant coach at the University of Minnesota, Darwitz was chosen by the league to launch the PWHL Minnesota team last September.
She signed defender Lee Stecklein and forwards Kendall Coyne Schofield and Kelly Pannek in free agency, then used the first-overall draft pick to add University of Minnesota star Taylor Heise about a week later. Heise won the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award after leading all players in both goals (five) and points (eight) over 10 playoff games.
Darwitz and Boston GM Danielle Marmer connected for the PWHL's first trade in February, with Minnesota acquiring offensive defender Sophie Jaques in exchange for forward Susanna Tapani and depth defender Abby Cook.
The move was a win-win for both sides and especially paid dividends for Minnesota in the Walter Cup playoffs, where Jaques logged five points in 10 games, including two goals in a Game 2 win over Boston in the final series.
Jaques, who has carved out a role on Minnesota's power play, is signed for two more seasons.
"From our standpoint, this isn't just playing a board game and making a quick decision," Darwitz told CBC Sports about the trade in February. "There's a lot that goes into it. For us, not only are we obviously looking at this year, but my job as the GM is what's next year, what's the following year look like."
Other key moves by Darwitz included drafting rookie of the year candidate Grace Zumwinkle, who finished top three in goal-scoring in the regular season, in the third round, and selecting Michela Cava, who finished second in playoff scoring on a line with Heise and Coyne Schofield, in the 12th round.
Darwitz also signed goaltender Maddie Rooney in free agency. She combined with Nicole Hensley to create one of the best goaltending tandems in the league, with a combined four shutouts in the playoffs.
Darwitz didn't respond to a request for comment from CBC Sports on Friday, and the team directed questions to the league, which is responsible for making personnel decisions at the GM level.
Coaching staff will make picks at Monday's draft
The move leaves Minnesota without a general manager with just two days to go before the draft in St. Paul, Minn. on Monday, and in the middle of the window to offer contracts to players the team would like to re-sign. Free agency opens on June 21.
WATCH | Previewing the 2024 PWHL draft on CBC Sports' Hockey North:
The league says there is "no immediate timeline for the naming of the next PWHL Minnesota general manager." Without a GM, the team's selections on Monday will be made by the coaching staff, which includes head coach Ken Klee.
Klee was brought in to coach Minnesota after former head coach Charlie Burggraf stepped down last December, just days before the team's first regular season game. He previously interviewed to be both PWHL Minnesota's head coach and GM, and had already been vetted by the league. Klee also had familiarity with several players on the team having coached the U.S. women's national team.
"At the end of the day, anybody who came in, I felt really good about because of the team that was drafted," Darwitz told CBC Sports in April.
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